The first gameplay from Two Point Hospital is really living up to that Theme Hospital spiritual sequel hype

Cure adorable diseases in this new but classic looking hospital sim

The PC Gamer Weekender has given us our first look at some Two Point Hospital gameplay, the spiritual successor to Theme Hospital. Development is being led by some of the original game's creators, and Lionhead/Bullfrog veterans Mark Webley and Gary Carr were on hand to show the game off.

The gameplay you can see up there is very much.. on point (sorry), for recreating the spirit of the original. There are all new diseases to deal with, like Grey Anatomy which sees people lose all their colour, or Light Headedness, which sees the afflicted's heads turn into a big bulb. These are serious, life altering afflictions here.

The game takes place in the fictional Two Point County and sees you managing hospitals in different areas, dealing with the different issues each location serves up. The weather is one thing mentioned that can change the challenge. You'll also have to deal with factions like pharmaceutical companies that can be good or evil.

As you progress you'll have research new cures and manage staff who now have different character traits that influence their behaviour and performance. The example given was of staff on a break, arguing and dancing about depending on their personality. I'm guessing picking the right person for the job will play a part here. No one wants a surgeon who likes to boogie mid-operation.

And this could be the start of a whole Two Point empire with Webley and Carr mentioning they always wanted to expand the Theme brand into other ideas like prisons. They see Two Point County as the perfect place to do that. Although, despite mentioning prisons a lot, they seem to think that wouldn't be the next game.